


Expected Conversations

by Flamingbluepanda



Category: Torchwood
Genre: 5+1, Bisexual Ianto Jones, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Team as Family, Very minor references to abuse, protective friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:00:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24647587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flamingbluepanda/pseuds/Flamingbluepanda
Summary: Five times someone needlessly defended Ianto's honor and one time Ianto defends Jack's
Relationships: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones
Comments: 11
Kudos: 185





	Expected Conversations

**Author's Note:**

> I promised something fluffy to make up for the pain I posted on monday, and this is it! fun fact im posting this on my brand spankin new school laptop on the hottest day of the year thus far. 
> 
> Huge thank you to the insanely talented Nik for the beta, dedicated to the number one Ianto stan Jacklynn, who regularly says Horny Ianto Rights

_ I. Tosh _

Amongst the many duties Tosh has within Torchwood, her favorite by far was checking the CCTV each morning. 

It enabled her to get all sorts of delightful images of her coworkers being not Torchwood agents, but  _ people,  _ helplessly normal and beautifully casual. She didn’t quite know why it brought her so much joy to save certain clips of things like Gwen talking to her about her new haircut or Owen trying and failing to be sneaky while playing video games, but it made her feel a little warmer, knowing that her friends relaxed occasionally.

Two days after Suzie died (again), she was going through the CCTV and paused when she spotted Jack and Ianto talking over the open morgue drawer where her former coworker lay. That wasn’t so unusual; Ianto was their admin and paperwork person, and Jack trusted him with most things, but what  _ was  _ unusual was the way that they were… smiling.  _ Smirking  _ even. Tosh wished there was audio or that she could at least apply the lip reading software, but their mouths weren’t facing the camera, so she had to guess what was happening. 

Ianto pulled out his stopwatch, clicked it. And then he left the morgue. Tosh quickly clicked through the CCTV, following him. She noticed Jack send everyone home, watched as they all left, and then found them come back together in Jack’s office and- 

_ Oh. _

Tosh giggled, feeling herself blush but refusing to feel embarrassed. She  _ knew  _ Ianto wasn’t as straight as he seemed. She was glad; it was what he deserved. 

Weeks later, after her visit to 1941, Tosh stayed after the others went home, having a nightcap with Jack. Cautiously, she cleared her throat.

“May I ask a personal question?”

Jack blinked, then smiled at her. “What? Like you have to ask?”

“What’s happening with you and Ianto?”

Jack’s smile faltered a moment, and he looked away. “Ah. CCTV?”

Tosh nodded. “Jack… I mentioned the other captain to him. He deserves to know.”

“I know.” Jack sighed. “Look, me and Ianto… it’s not what you think.”

“I think you’re sleeping together,” Tosh said plainly, “quite frequently considering the number of times I’ve seen Ianto disappear down that manhole. You  _ really  _ need to be better about covering your tracks by the way. Especially when you do things  _ in the medbay.” _

Jack chuckled, but it was twinged with bitterness. “Don’t tell him you saw that; he’ll put me on instant.”

“Jack,” Tosh said, not letting herself be distracted, “Ianto’s my best friend.” 

“I know.”

“He’s been through a lot.”

“Believe me, I know.” 

“... don’t hurt him,” Tosh said firmly, rising to her feet. “He deserves to not be hurt.” 

Jack nodded, eyes serious. “I know, Tosh. Trust me, I don’t intend to.” 

Tosh nodded, handing him her empty glass. “Good.” 

As she turned to leave, Jack teasingly called, “Hey, does Ianto get warned off too?”

“Just as soon as he does something that warrants it.” Tosh winked, and Jack laughed. 

(Months later, Jack told Ianto about the conversation as they laid in bed together. Ianto snorted, rolling over and pressing a kiss to Jack's shoulder. “Please. My heart could handle you kissing a man who was going to die. Besides, we were new and exciting, and I liked your dick  _ way _ too much to stop over  _ that.” _

Jack made a faux offended noise and said, “We’re still exciting.” And Ianto said, “Prove it.” And Jack did.)

* * *

_ II. Francine _

The Year That Never Was had a lot of bad. Like, a  _ fuck ton  _ of bad. But there were a few bright spots - mainly, Jack’s brand new friendship with the Joneses.

Throughout the year, Jack did his best to keep morale up through flirting and stories and recitations of whole novels and the incessant singing of various showtunes and big band songs. He rambled for hours about his team, mainly Ianto Jones and the date he wanted to take him on. 

Francine decided she was adopting Jack and his team. It sounded like they needed a proper adult figure, especially Ianto, who had lost so much. 

At the end of it, as the Doctor dropped Jack off in Cardiff, Tish and Martha ran at him to give him a hug. Jack laughed, squeezing them both and kissing their cheeks. Clive went for a handshake, only to get drawn into a much more manly, backslapping hug and an overexaggerated kiss that made a wet noise. Francine laughed at the uncomfortable look on Clive’s face, stepping forward for her own hug. 

Jack gave her a warm smile. “I think I’ll miss you most of all, scarecrow.” 

Francine rolled her eyes, hugging him tightly and standing on her toes to kiss his cheek. Then she stepped back and smoothed his lapels down. Jack had been overjoyed to find that Francine had repaired and cleaned his precious coat, and she made him promise to take good care of it.

“You’d better call,” she said, waving her finger at him, “and make sure you take it easy on your poor stomach; too much rich food too quick will make you sick. I want you to call me tomorrow and tell me you got a full eight hours of sleep.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Jack saluted, and Francine smacked his arm. “That’s  _ mum  _ to you, young man.”

Jack beamed at her, and she gave him another hug, unable to resist. 

“Now, you go out there,” she told him “and you apologize to that team of yours. And treat that boy of yours right; it’s what he deserves.” 

Jack rolled his eyes dramatically. “Seriously? Why does everyone say that? You don’t even know him.”

“I know  _ you.”  _ Francine said, and Jack laughed, nodding. 

“Yeah, that’s fair.”

“Besides,” Tish piped up, “if he doesn’t treat  _ you  _ right, Mum will actually shoot him.”

Jack laughed, and Francine thought he’d be okay. 

(She did meet Ianto Jones, eventually. She was delighted to find that he could hold his own and that he certainly adored Jack. 

The whole team ate dinner, but Ianto was the one to jump up and insist he help with the dishes. She laughed and gave a pointed look to her own children, deciding that Ianto was her new favorite.

As he washed and she dried, she asked if he was happy. 

Ianto smiled at her, and said, “Jack makes me happy; don’t worry.” 

And she didn’t.)

* * *

_ III. Owen _

While Jack was gone, Owen couldn’t help but feel a little bit of pity for Ianto. 

He  _ saw  _ that kiss, saw the way Jack held Ianto and the way they’d swayed. That wasn’t a kiss you gave to a bit on the side; that was the kind of kiss shared between two people who cared about one another. 

Of course, it could be argued that Jack cared about everyone, but he certainly didn’t kiss the others like that. 

All this to say, Owen tried to keep an eye on Ianto while Jack was gone. Somehow, that translated into actually  _ caring  _ about him. Somewhere between pub nights and Ianto kicking his arse at snooker and video game tournaments, they actually became  _ friends.  _

So when Jack came back and Ianto started actually dating him, Owen knew exactly what he had to do.

He called Jack down for some routine medical exams - which wasn’t a lie, Jack did need some. As Owen scanned him, he casually said, “So, any sexual intercourse lately?”

Jack blinked, then scowled and said,  _ “Owen.” _

“It’s a legitimate medical question!”

“I’m not giving you ammunition to use against Ianto.”

“I actually don’t want any.” Owen set the scanner down and crossed his arms, giving him a look. “I actually care about the tea boy, and I want to know what exactly you and he are up to.”

Jack threw his hands up. “Seriously?  _ You too _ ?”

_ “Jack,”  _ Owen pressed. “What are your intentions with Ianto?”

“To date him,” Jack snapped, “to be good to him and make sweet love to him if I damn well please. We’re adults, in an adult relationship-”

“You’re a flirt, Jack,” Owen said, “a big one. And I just don’t want to see Ianto get hurt.” 

“Ianto’s a big boy.” Jack smirked. “Actually, it’s quite impressive just how big-”

“Oh, god,  _ stop.”  _ Owen waved his hands, shooing Jack away. “God, every time I try to do something nice...I don’t want to know, just go. Don’t hurt him, or I’ll shoot you.  _ Out. _ And you’d better not sleep together in my medbay!”

(Later that night, Jack told Ianto about the encounter and got offended when Ianto started laughing. 

“Owen is  _ mean,”  _ Jack protested, “and I fully believe he’ll actually shoot me.”

“I know you’re not gonna hurt me, Jack.” Ianto rolled his eyes, stabbing his fish with his fork. “If I thought you were gonna, I wouldn’t have said yes to that first date. Or any of the ones after. Or slept with you-”

Jack laughed as the person at the neighboring table gave them a mean look. He loved taking Ianto to fancy places and freaking out old rich people who had sticks up their homophobic asses. Their waitress - Nik, she’d said her name was Nik- was trying not to laugh, and Jack winked at her as he took a bite of his filet mignon, bumping Ianto’s ankle with his foot. “I know. Eat your fish; I wanna take you home and make sweet love to you.” 

“Never say that again,” Ianto said loudly, and Jack laughed so loud that Nik almost had to kick them out.) 

* * *

_ IV. Martha _

Martha loved Jack. She did. She loved him very dearly, and he was a very good friend. When she went down to Cardiff, it was with every intention of making sure his boyfriend deserved him.

And then she realized his boyfriend was _Ianto Jones._ She’d met him during the Year, and he was anxious and kind and told her stories about this guy he’d been sleeping with before the world went to hell. And now she was meeting him _again_ , and he was kind and polite and unobtrusive. 

And she cornered Jack and said, “Oh my god, he’s so cute when he’s not surviving the apocalypse.”

“You met him during the Year?” Jack presumed, and Martha nodded. 

“Traveled with him for about a week. He saved my life.”

He must’ve seen something in her face, because he sighed and said, “You're about to warn me against hurting him.”

“I doubt you will, but if you two break up I think I’ll actually break down crying.” Martha elbowed him. “And I’d better get a wedding invite.” 

“Why does no one ever defend  _ my  _ honor?” Jack whined, and Martha grinned at him. 

“Because Ianto would sooner shoot himself in the foot than hurt you. You abandoned him, the world ended, I spent two weeks with the man, and all he could talk about was you.”

(“Seriously?  _ Martha?”  _ Ianto asked as Jack helped him clean the SUV. “Maybe I should do something really mean, so people can yell at me about hurting you for a change.”

“It would mix things up.” Jack laughed. “But it’s fine. I know you’d never hurt me.” 

Ianto paused in cleaning the SUV, turned to where Jack was leaning against the door and pulled him into a soft kiss. 

“Damn right I wouldn’t,” Ianto muttered softly. “You deserve happiness. More than anyone I’ve ever met.” 

Jack kissed him again; the SUV got dirty all over again.)

* * *

_ V. Gwen _

Gwen knew Jack and Ianto were happy. Really, she did. But she couldn’t stop replaying Ianto’s comment about Jack always cheating in her head. 

She had, eventually, told Rhys the truth about Owen. With no Retcon this time. She knew how hurt he had been. She didn’t want that for anyone, much less Ianto, who was basically her little brother. 

After Flat Holm, Jack took her out to lunch. As they walked along the bay to the chippy, Gwen chewed her lip for a moment and then said, “Jack-“

“You walked in on me and Ianto and wanna make sure I’m not gonna hurt him,” Jack guessed, and Gwen blinked. Jack shrugged. “It’s happened like, four times now.”

“We all just want you two to be happy,” Gwen told him. “And you have a reputation-”

“One that’s well earned,” Jack admitted, “but I’ve, y’know, grown and changed and shit. Ianto’s important to me. I’m not about to lose him.”

“I know.” Gwen squeezed Jack’s arm. “I know.”

(That night, Jack lay on his side, head propped up on his elbow as he watched Ianto sleep. His head was turned towards Jack, and he was snoring like a garbage disposal. There was a string of drool, and Jack thought he’d never looked more beautiful.

Sometimes, he thought about life without Ianto, and the very idea made him shudder. 

“Never want to lose you,” he muttered, brushing an errant curl off Ianto’s forehead. The Welshman didn’t even twitch. “Not ever.” )

* * *

_ +1. Ianto gets his own _

The team was out at lunch, having a laugh, eating outside on a rare sunny day. Jack had an arm draped over Ianto’s shoulders, and even Owen seemed to be having a good time.

“How’s everything for all of you?” the waitress - who was named Louise - asked, approaching their table with a polite smile. 

Jack gave her a full force Harkness grin. “Everything’s fantastic, especially with such a lovely waitress.”

Louise giggled, and a light blush decorated her cheeks. “Thank you, sir. Seriously though, can I get you guys anything else?” 

“We’re good,” Owen said before Jack could reply. Louise nodded once and walked away. As soon as she was gone, Owen shot Jack a nasty glare. “Seriously?”

Jack blinked. “What?”

“We’re right here, Jack,” Gwen hissed, glancing pointedly at Ianto. Jack winced, and pulled his arm away, looking down at his dish like a guilty child. Ianto glanced at him, and then at the team. He felt a spike of anger and he groaned, burying his face in his hands. 

“Oh my god,  _ enough,”  _ Ianto said. “Gwen, stop looking at me like I’m a cuckold.”

“Ianto-“ Gwen started, and Ianto glared at her. 

“I’m not a bloody  _ child _ .”

“We know that,” Tosh said. “We’re just concerned-”

“Well don’t be.” Ianto crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. “I know I’m the youngest, and you three feel some sort of big sibling instinct around me, but I’m twenty-five. I don’t need defending, and I  _ certainly _ don’t need anyone talking about me like I’m not here.”

“That was  _ blatant  _ flirting-” Owen grumbled, and Ianto rolled his eyes. “You flirted with her earlier Owen. And if I  _ had  _ an issue, I would  _ say  _ so.”

“And I’d never actually follow through!” Jack interjected. “He knows that.” 

“No offense, Ianto.” Tosh sighed. “But you aren’t the best at telling people how you feel.” 

Ianto opened his mouth, then closed it, then grumbled. “That’s...that’s fair. But still! Look-” He leaned forward on his elbows, lowering his voice. “Look. I grew up listening to my neighbors scream and throw things at one another. I grew up with a man who’d beat you bloody for staining your shirt too badly.” 

Jack’s hands clenched in his lap, and Ianto’s voice shook as he said, “I’ve  _ been  _ in bad relationships, with people who actively wanted to hurt me emotionally if not physically. Conversely, I’ve been in  _ great _ relationships. I know the difference, and if this job has taught me  _ nothing _ else, it’s that life is too short to waste time being unhappy.” 

The others stared at him for a long moment, and Ianto leaned back in his chair again, nodding resolutely. 

Gwen swallowed, shifting in her seat. “Look, Ianto, we just,” Gwen started, but Ianto interrupted her with a wave of his hand: “What? You want to make sure I know what I’m doing? Make sure I haven’t been corrupted or something? I was bi before I met Jack you know.”

“We know,” Tosh said quickly. “We just-“

“Guys,” Jack said, eyes widening. “You- you  _ do  _ know that  _ he _ came on to  _ me _ , right?” 

The others stared, and Ianto bit back a snort as Jack grinned at them. “Oh my god, you all think I started this?  _ Nope,  _ that was all Mister Jones over here.” 

Ianto grinned at them, still holding back his laughter. “Even better...I’m the one who wanted it to be a no-strings attached sort of thing.  _ He’s  _ the one who asked me out.” 

Their faces were priceless, and in sync, Jack and Ianto burst out  _ laughing,  _ hard and loud. The others cracked smiles too, with Owen protesting against too much information and Gwen shaking her head in exasperation. 

Finally, Ianto caught his breath and waved a hand at them. “So no more shovel talks! None! Or we’ll start giving you lot shit about your relationships too!” 

The others snorted, and Jack grinned, wrapping his arm around Ianto’s shoulders again. 

He gave him a little squeeze, and when Ianto smiled at him he felt like his entire world was lighting up.

(“Those people…”

Ianto looked up from where he was sitting on the sofa, head practically in Jack’s lap. Jack was looking at the TV with a thousand-yard stare, stroking Ianto’s hair slowly. “The ones who hurt you. Where are they now?”

Ianto blinked, then tried to shrug as casually as he could. “Dad’s six feet under, good riddance. Declan? No clue.”

“His name was  _ Declan?”  _ Jack asked, and Ianto snorted before starting to laugh hard enough to send him rolling off the couch. 

“Yeah,” he managed through his chuckles. “What an awful name. Everyone calls him Deeks, and that’s not much better-”

He settled down, and he looked up to see Jack looking at him like he hung the stars.

“I love you,” Jack suddenly said, eyes wide. Ianto flushed, and Jack kissed his forehead tenderly. “You don’t have to say it back. I just wanted you to know.”

“No, no,” Ianto said, nodding. “I love you too. I just didn’t expect you to be the first one to say it.”

“We’re all about breaking expectations,” Jack said, grinning. And then he drew him into a kiss, and that was the end of the conversations for a while.)

**Author's Note:**

> Come check me out on tumblr www.flamingbluepanda.tumblr.com
> 
> See ya monday for the beast inside finale! Black lives matter


End file.
